Woodman: Afo has huge future

WORLD Cup winner Trevor Woodman is confident Afolabi Fasogbon will fulfil his early promise and become one of the game's leading tight-head props.

- By PAUL REES

Woodman is in his 11th year as Gloucester's scrum coach having played for the club for the majority of his career, which culminated in World Cup final victory over Australia in 2003 when he was England's loosehead.

He has overseen the development of the 20-year old Fasogbon, who joined Gloucester last season after London Irish collapsed, and believes the prop had a chance of making England's Six Nations squad but for an ankle injury he picked up in December.

"Afo has a massive future in the game and I hope it is all going to be at Gloucester," said Wood-man, right. "He has all the ingredients of a modern front row forward.

"He is physically strong and we are looking to make him even stronger during his enforced break. He has got that desire to really want to do well. He pushes himself and those around him, he wants to go forward in every scrum and he has an inner belief he can become the best.

"It is incredible for a 20-year old. The programme for props is a lot different to when I started playing, from training to learning so much more from coaches and the players around you. You pick up technical aspects much earlier than in the days when you just played."